With sever heat waves sweeping across the globe more frequently than ever, Sunscreen or Sun Protection Factor (SPF) has become essential to protect the skin against the harmful UV rays.
Over the years, the SPF in sunscreens has increased from 10 to 50 given the intensity of the sun burns and public demand.
A strong case for using sunscreen has grabbed the headlines recently when a picture of a 92-year-old woman went viral who used SPF on her face for 40 years and never used anything on her neck.
The picture was tweeted by a New York-based doctor Avi Bitterman, who wrote, “Cheek and neck of a 92-year-old female, who used UV-protective moisturizers on her face but not on the neck for 40+ years.”
The tweet has attracted 240.5K likes and 30.8K retweets on the micro-blogging site.
The picture shows sun damage on the skin of her neck, and far less discoloration and fewer wrinkles on her face where she applied sunscreen.
Differentiating between the woman’s face where Sun Protection Factor (SPF) was applied and her neck where it was not, was easy as her neck looked discolored and wrinkled while her face still looked better.
Some doctors seem to have agreed with Bitterman’s statement. Replying to the tweet, Dr Mobola Savage, an Aesthetic & Anti-Aging specialist said, “While applying sunscreen today, please do not neglect your neck and chest. These areas are rather thin and can reveal signs of aging faster than your face.”
According to US Food and Drug Administration, Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is a measure of how much solar energy (UV radiation) is required to produce sunburn on protected skin (ie, in the presence of sunscreen) compared to the amount of solar energy required to produce sunburn on unprotected skin.
Sunburn protection also increases as the SPF value increases.